In any soccer league, getting 30 out of 36 possible points is incredibly impressive. In a league as competitive as the Championship, it`s almost unbelievable. This league is known for being unpredictable, where even the top teams can struggle against those fighting to avoid relegation.
Coventry City`s consistent performance since January 4th is definitely worth noting. Back then, after a 2-1 loss to Norwich City, the Sky Blues were in 15th place. A season that looked promising at the start seemed to be going nowhere by the halfway point.
However, twelve games later, Coventry is now in the playoff contention. They might be too late to catch up for automatic promotion, especially with Sheffield United, their Friday opponent, holding one of those spots. But with eight games remaining, Coventry has something very valuable: momentum.
The reason for this change? It seems to be Frank Lampard and his coaching staff. The former England star came to the CBS Arena (no connection, they assure us) wanting to prove himself after disappointing times at Chelsea and Everton. He found a team that was already playing well statistically – their expected goal difference without penalties under the previous manager, Mark Robins, was fourth best in the league – but they were lacking belief.
That belief has definitely returned. Star player Jack Rudoni says that the Sky Blue Lodge training ground is a very happy place to be.
Bringing belief
`I think a lot of credit goes to the new staff,` Rudoni told CBS Sports. `They`ve made everything enjoyable and have been very clear about what they want from us. Everyone understands what we`re doing, and training is fun. They are just good people you can talk to and enjoy being around.
`This has brought the players closer, and the wins make it even better. The atmosphere in the locker room right now is amazing. Everyone is really excited.`
Of course, good vibes alone don`t get you the most points in the Championship since the FA Cup third round, with only Liverpool performing slightly better in that period. Lampard made some tactical adjustments after Ephron Mason-Clark got injured, switching to a back three formation, which Coventry has recently moved away from without any drop in performance.
For Rudoni, the formation change has allowed him to play as a more attacking midfielder in a 4-3-3 system. They are having more possession, and while they are taking slightly fewer shots, the quality of those shots, based on expected goals (xG), has improved significantly.
Sheffield United vs. Coventry City
- Date: Friday, Mar. 28
- Location: Bramall Lane — Sheffield, United Kingdom
- TV: CBS Sports Golazo Network | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Sheffield United +110; Draw +240; Coventry +250
Coventry`s expected goals (xG) profile is worth looking at. Interestingly, their key stats haven`t changed much. In 14 games under Robins, Coventry`s non-penalty xG difference per game was 0.46. In 28 games under Lampard, it`s also 0.46. Under the previous manager, Coventry was slightly underperforming their xG, but under Lampard, they are achieving it.
The fact that the xG profile is similar doesn`t take away from what the new manager has achieved. An expected goal difference of half a goal better than the opponent per game is typical for a team aiming for promotion. Lampard`s impact has been to help this team get results that match their underlying performance.
Besides data, there are other things that numbers can`t fully capture, like the changes in the team`s atmosphere. A talented squad – and signing players like Viktor Gyokores shows good recruitment – needed to rediscover their potential and believe they could be the promotion contenders many predicted at the start of the season.
Rudoni mentions video analysis by assistant manager Joe Edwards as an example, which immediately helped him and Mason-Clark in a win against Preston last month.
`Before that game, Joe showed me clips of the 2-1 win at Hull in December where Ephron crossed to me, and I scored a header. We watched clips of me and Ephron working together throughout the game, reminding us of the threat we can create together, as Ephron was returning from injury.
`Twenty minutes into the game, we scored almost the exact same goal.`
Lampard`s aura
It was a typical Lampard-style goal: a late run into the box, attacking the space created by his teammates and left open by the defense. If anyone appreciates these moments, it`s Rudoni, who grew up in London, admiring Chelsea during the era of Lampard, John Terry, and others. Rudoni was 10 when Chelsea won the Champions League, and now he`s being coached by the captain from that famous night in Munich.
What was it like to meet his childhood hero at work?
`I just wanted to ask him so many questions. I want to learn so much from him about how he reached such a high level,` he said.
`If you ask him, he`d probably say I ask a lot of questions. But he`s one of the best players ever. Why wouldn`t I want to ask him everything?`
And it gets even better for Rudoni – he’s not just playing under Lampard; he’s playing the Lampard role.
`Working with him and learning from the best is all I could ask for. He helps me with runs into the box, finishing in and around the box, and even from outside the box, sharing techniques and drills that worked for him in games,` he said.
Earlier this month, Lampard said that this job has been a learning experience for him as much as for his players. His early managerial career had highs with Derby County and Chelsea, but then a period at Everton where he managed to avoid relegation in his first season but couldn`t push the team further.
Since then, Lampard has focused on learning from top coaches, spending time with Thomas Frank of Brentford and even 45 minutes with Pep Guardiola. It seems to be paying off. Coventry fans, who might have been doubtful about anyone replacing Robins – who led the Sky Blues through promotions, a title, a playoff final, and an FA Cup semi-final in seven years – seem to have accepted the new manager. The players also share Lampard`s desire to improve.
`As a team, we are open to new ideas and want to learn,` says Rudoni. `We don’t have big egos.`
`They [the new staff] came in and implemented their style, and their approach has been excellent. We`ve embraced it as a team, stuck together, and worked hard. Once we started winning, the wins kept coming, and it`s been a great feeling. Hopefully, it continues.`
If they keep winning, Coventry could be in the playoffs at the end of the season. Winning three more games from there could end their 21-year absence from the top league. At the beginning of the century, Coventry, despite struggling, was a historic top-flight club. Their 34-year run included memorable moments: winning the FA Cup in 1988 and a great escape from relegation led by Dion Dublin nine years later.
Rising from League Two to the Championship playoffs has brought back some excitement to the CBS Arena. If Rudoni and the team can go further than the 2023 team, they will become club legends.
`I can see what it means to the fans, their passion at games, and I`d be delighted to do it for them as much as for ourselves,` he says. `They`ve been to Wembley a few times recently and haven`t won, so I hope this is the year.
`Let’s make it the year. I’m ready to go to Wembley and win.`
